Really??? Is that you?

I find it interesting that when we meet people we instantly need to validate ourselves by stating:

~Who we know
~What we do for a living
~Where we have been
~What others think of us
~Our past accomplishments that have been rewarded by others

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with someone- someone new in your life and stopped yourself in the middle of adding another Me Moment in that conversation? So much of what we want to share of ourselves is just fringe.

I realize that within five minutes of getting to know someone we don't need to spill our guts and share our most horrible and wonderful secrets. There is a serving and a volleying that must take place; however I did feel the nudging of the Lord about my Me Moment Conversation recently.

I met someone recently and the Lord told me while talking to that person to keep my mouth shut. I did exactly that (wow amazing I know). It was intriguing how I could really read into, and get to know that person in about 15 minutes. I had kind of figured out their passions, their views on things, their priorities, their loves- all because I kept my mouth shut and listened. I did not try to think of interesting quips to respond to them, I did not try to entertain them so they would like me- I just listened.

I think it is also amazing that when we meet people we try to add of this greatness to our portfolio because we don't want others to see that we are just well- human. Really- aren't we all? Let's just be real. You are either going to click or not. Your spirits are going to jive or not. Let's just help one another, live for God together, and be there for each other.

This blog is not a note to you- but a huge reminder to me. As long as I am reminding myself of things- here is another tidbit of help- The Lord brings people into our lives so that we can minister and mentor them. Don't always look for people to entertain you, or for people that get your wacky sense of humor, or just want to be around you. That does not always happen. In fact it rarely happens. We have this bubble image in our mind that every one has a group of 500 friends that they rotate on a weekly basis. People work, they have families, they lead lives. Be grateful for those that God allows to march into your heart and leave their heart prints behind. Those are truly the special moments of life.

Last ramble. Take risk with people. Guess what....that lady that you see looking at you- the one that you can't figure out....she is just as lonely as you are. She is dying on the inside due to lack of friendship. Who are you or are to quantify and qualify her right out of your life.

I know, I know- kind of deep words for a Thursday morning- but I just didn't want to forget them.

Reach out. Spread your arms. Show love. Jesus spread out his arms of love- and changed the future of the world for all eternity.

YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

I have HOPE!

When you think about your future are you hopeful? Or do you struggle with a sense of dread when you think about up-coming days? Is there a huge ball that hits you in the pit of your stomach when you think about the months to come?

Psalms 33:22 tells us :

"May you unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD eve as we put our hope in you."

People that have seen God's faithfulness in the past tend to be hopeful about their future. It is amazing to me how the Lord will take a message and keep bringing to the forefront of your mind by different speakers.

Pastor Tim Gaddy has been speaking to us at New Life Church lately about the power of our words. Our words speak life and death. He also has told us that it is just as easy to speak words of faith as it is to speak words of fear. Usually when you hear messages like this- it is preparing you for upcoming days.

Then this past Sunday Larry Gimnich- the Assistant Pastor talked about the importance of having thick skins in situations. About being rooted and grounded in HIM. When you are secure in Jesus- you have hope- no matter what situations you awake to face.

People who have lost all hope view life from the perspective of dread. Dread, which closely related to fear, steals the ability to enjoy ordinary life and makes people anxious about the future. It keeps them from looking forward to the next day, the next week, the next month or the next decade. Their thoughts about the present are negative and their outlook on the future is filled with fear, pessimism, doubt and worry.

You know the type - the kind of person that when they walk in the room- the lights immediately dim and the sad dreary music begins pouring out of the walls.

Hope is the opposite of dread- and a close relative of faith. When we have hope, our outlook on life and on the future is positive. We can hope because we trust in God's unfailing love, His power to provide for us, and HIS ABILITY to lead us in every situation.

This has been brought to my mind so much this past week due to situations that have come up with friends, with MKs, and with family members. Hope is what keeps us from worrying and allows us to leave our unanswered questions in God's hands, empowers us to remain at peace and enables us to believe the best about the days to come.

Have you ever met someone who was happy, optimistic, and full of strength and courage? You have met someone that has hope- and speaks those words of hope in their heart daily.

The enemy is the one that does not want us to have hope. He tells us things like:

- You will never get married.
- You are going to fail at that new project so why even try?
- They will never get healed.
- You might as well buy a larger size- you will never loose that weight.
- Your husband is going to loose his job.
- You will never get out of debt.
- Your husband thinks everyone else is pretty but you.
- You don't have any friends.

These words, these daggers come to our mind by self doubt, and by thoughts brought to our minds by the enemy. If you read each of these statements that I listed above you will see that all of them have a common strain- Self-pity!

The devil puts thoughts in our minds to make us feel sorry for ourselves and resent the people who have what we are convinced we will never have.

Self-pity is a destructive and negative emotion. It makes us blind to our blessings and steals our hopes from today and tomorrow. We get so focused on what we don't have- our eyes are closed to the new opportunities that the Lord is trying to bring into our lives.

I have had times of self-pity in my past. When John and I were first married I left my church, my job, my family, my friends, and my security nest to move to North Carolina. I remember that first horrible week when I sat in the house alone. John was working the second shift. I remember calling my former Pastor's wife, Anita Hale, and talking to her. She made the difference in that 11 year North Carolina journey. She told me that I had a choice. I could either embrace the life there- minister to those that God brought into my life, stand beside my husband and give myself fully to that area- or I could grow lonely, isolated, and start to die spiritually. I am sure she doesn't even remember that conversation but it was an eye opener for me. I then got a little plague from her the next week in the mail that simply read- "Bloom where you are planted." I am so glad that I did just that. ~ Or I hope I did!

I encourage you to be determined not to waste one more day of your life in self-pity. When you lose hope and begin to feel sorry for yourself stop that very minute and say, "I refuse to feel sorry for myself, this is a season of my life and GOD and I are going to get through this together."

The enemy is determined for you to be consumed with hopelessness and will tell you all sorts of lies about yourself, your life, your spouse, your ministry, your calling. Remember that GOD has thoughts and plans for your good, to give you hope for your future- Jeremiah 29:11. If you get a hold of that hope and fight for it, and speak words of faith and not fear- you will see amazing things happen in your life.

I can say this because he has done this for me over and over. On Saturday I had to have this very talk with myself. I was homesick for North Carolina. I wanted nothing else but to my girlfriends at Panera, sit, chat, drink coffee and laugh and laugh. The Lord brought back that very conversation to me so vividly- but then challenged me to share this with you. I don't know where you are at- what battles you might be facing- but I do know this. YOU DO HAVE HOPE. YOU ARE going to make it- and GOD IS fighting for you!

I love you bloggy buddies- have a great night I am excited to hear about what he has done for you lately!

"I'm a prankster Mama"

So I know you have been missing the "Emma-isms" ..so here are some of her latest exploits.

Recently Emma was found:

1. Pushing the hamster down the slide outside...while playing amusement park I guess?. Yep Kid you not.

2. Putting the hamster in the little paper 57 Chevy. She got this in her kid's meal from Cheeburger Cheeburger. She also was trying to put its "hands" on the dash when I caught her.

3. Taking her Tator Tots and shaping them into a cross and eating them one by one - then was dipping them in ketchup and saying thank you Jesus for dying for me. Okay that one is kind of sweet and yet strange all in one.

4. Asking while we spent the night in Nashville on the way to Little Rock if tomorrow was the big day that we would finally see "Red Necks". We told her that was not a good term to use when we got to AR. I also told her that NC had an equal amount. John did have to turn around and laugh while she was not looking.

5. Falling at Olive Garden. She had on a tube dress with a little shrug on top of it. That is girl language for stretchy dress men. She was mortified thinking the waiters could see her "niblets". I could not stop laughing and she was horrified that I was laughing. It was a rolling chair and her dress got caught on it- so it kept getting worse and worse. I know it was one of those horrible mother moments when I should have been consoling her but I could not get a grip. I even tried to think of my dog dying- nothing would stop my laughter.

6. Writing new songs that she sings with an old Disney lullaby CD. Most of them consist of la la la la la and Oh oh oh oh oh. She then pauses to ask did you like it the first way better or second? I can't hear the difference so I always go with second.

7. Hiding all of Seanna's "bras". She would not fess up to it- finally she said that she hid them in her pj drawer. She looked at me and said- I am a prankster Mama- you had better watch out- you might be next.

8. Telling a lady that teaches school locally that she knew she would be a star student in AR- because anyone could get good grades here .....Right? (her mother was acting like she did not hear the conversation)


-------------------

Emma remains my awesome giving, sharing, intelligent, sweet little 8 year old. She was praying with her friends at camp, she loves to sing and worship at church.

I am blessed with Two beautiful daughters. I told John just the other day- in 6 years he will be dealing with boys showing up at the door ready to take out his now 10 year old. We both agreed- we are not ready for that.

Have a great weekend! Love you all-

CMN

Are you kidding me?

The label on Emma's scooter said: "This product moves when used." Things that make you go really?

So I had to google and see if I could find more Hilarious Warning labels. Here are some of my favorites:

On a bottle of dog shampoo: "Contents should not be fed to fish."

On a baking pan: "Ovenware will get hot when used in oven."

On a blanket: "Not to be used as protection from a tornado."

On a fishing lure with a three-pronged hook: "Harmful if swallowed."

On a 12-inch CD rack: "Do not use as a ladder."

On a carpenter's drill" "Not intended for use as a dental drill."

On a Japanese food processor: "Not to be used for the other use."

On a cocktail napkin with a mini map of Hilton Head, South Carolina: "Not to be used for navigation."

On an insect spray: "This product not tested on animals."

Inside a six-inch plastic bag: "Do not climb inside this bad and zip it up. Doing so will cause injury or death."

On a shower cap: "Fits one head."

On a can of pepper spray: "May irritate eyes"

On a toilet" "Recycled flush water unsafe for drinking."

These made me laugh today - especially the Duh Moment ones. I did think of some of the instructions that God has given us though that we totally ignore. We somehow don't think that they apply to us: Loving our neighbors as ourselves, the 10 commandments, the Be attitudes and more. What is your label saying about you today? Have you taken inventory lately to see what you are projecting?

Happy Tuesday!

Ponderings.....

1. Why do people ask- How are you? and walk away before you can answer?

2. Why is it that you can have 5 pairs of scissors in your house and never find one?

3. Why is it that it is hard to wake up mostly on Monday Mornings?

4. Why do kids ignore the No whining signs you post in your rooms?

5. Have you ever noticed that true friends can follow your conversation topic changes within sentences and fringe friends look at you with wide eyes that say- did you know that you just changed the subject mid- sentence?

6. Why does Crayola make markers that call themselves "Super Tips" does that somehow make all of the other markers in the box feel inferior? I have tested them- not finding them so "super" so far.

7. When a hostess ask you if you need smoking or non have you ever answered both?

8. I think it must be really easy for Hippos to floss.

9. What happens if my neighbor finds out I go on his internet illegally every time mine is out (like right now).

10. I never thought of snakes falling out of trees onto my head unto my friends Kim and Tom told me it was a common thing when in boats.

11. When you are reading a book and something jumps out at you it's great. When you want to find what jumped out at you to read it again- or tell someone about it- it is gone from the book. It is like a giant sneaks into the room eats out those paragraphs and they are gone!

12. Do the horses in the merry-go-rounds get dizzy? Do they also scream when someone heavy sits on them. Do they all fluff their hair to attract the cute kids?

13. Why is it that I have a magnet inside of my head that attracts the slowest cashier? I also head straight to the chattiest one in the group. The one that starts random conversations about all of the things she is ringing up for them. You like cereal? Really that is crazy because my family eats it too. Have you tried the new Cruncha Muncha brand on aisle 11? It is great! What? You have Never heard of it. Well let me call Billy to get a box for you. The box arrives. Billy that box has a rip on the top corner can you get them another. At this point I want to scream- no one eats Cruncha Muncha Ceareal. STOP BEING SO NICE ALREADY.

14. I can't end on odd numbers so I have to come up with another random pondering. This involves you....What would you attempt to do with your life if you knew you would not fail?

Happy Monday!

Frantic Cleaning

All women can say they have had a time or two of frantic cleaning

Like when your company is in the neighborhood and you have your daughters fanning the floors to dry them quicker. Yep I am a witness- that was last Thursday!

Like when you find out right before company comes that you forgot to do the guest bathroom. That was the weekend before.

Like the night before guest arrive and you are up till 2 Am vacuuming, putting away 8 loads of laundry, and dusting all at once. That was last night.

Lately I have been a lot of frantic cleaning. I come by it honestly- I am a third generation frantic cleaner.

We have had company the past 3 weekends and I am going to make this blog quick to pick up the fourth set- I love people so that is not a problem- I merely hate it when guest come and my house is dirty.

I remember as a child hearing a crash early one morning (like 2 am) and it was my Mother who fell off the dining room table while cleaning the chandelier....see I come by it honestly.

One of the best books ever, and yes I have plugged it over and over is "Lifegiving" by Tammy Maltby. She talks about the fact that our society has lost the art of hospitality- giving of ones home, time, self to others. She then says that most will not remember if your house was spic and span but remember the warmth they feel when they arrive.

They will remember if you really listened to them when they talked or you were waiting for your turn to spew out facts to impress your guest.

Have you been a lifegiver lately? Have you opened up your heart and home to others. Better yet- have all of us had a frantic heart cleaning? Is my heart as clean as my home. Which do I worry about more?

As for me- I've gotta run- the airport is calling and I don't remember vacuuming under the Hamster cage- YUCK.

Love you all- Happy Friday!

CMN

The Bridge

If I have had one person I have had 10 ask me- so how is the un-packing coming.... I will tell you that it is come and gone. Whatever is unpacked- is unpacked. Yep there is a ton of boxes in the garage- but I think they are nestled in there and they are happy right where they are sitting. Who am I to disrupt the friendship of boxes one with another? Who am I to nudge, push or even move them? Am I a meddler of friends? Not a all. They can sit and rest.

I had someone ask me last night how I felt in this move and I said I feel great. I then went into this secret chamber that I call my plastic face and put on a huge grin.

Do I feel great- Yes - honestly yes.
Do I feel sad at the same time Yes- honestly yes.
Do I fell excited about new friends - Are you kidding I am a HUGE people person.
Do I miss my old ones and feel a little lost without them- The crowd roars yes!

I know that the Lord is the one that opened the doors, did the planning, and the working in all of this - but in all honestly -I miss my world, my routine, and my old friends. Remember I am the one that freaked out at my old job if someone moved my stapler and did not put it back in the same spot? (Yep prayer is needed people)

I had someone else tell me that oh well you are an MK you should be used to moves. I think that MKs ARE used to moves- thus it is harder on them. Because everytime you pack and unpack boxes it opens up and peels of layers of pent up goodbyes from the past.

Mks are for the most part migrating beings. You don't attach yourself mentally knowing that the time of separation will come. I am reminded of a time when I was four and thought that licking the frozen door frame at my Dad's church would be lovely. Note to self- it is not lovely. It froze the layer of my tongue to the door. Since I was four and did not want to wait for help. I yanked my tongue off of the frozen door and left a fresh layer of skin as a souveneer. That is what moving feels like to MKs. It is there. You know you are going to have to face it- but yet you loose a little bit of yourself every time you do it.

To say that I am excited about what God has in store for us is inadequate. I have litterally had five friends in the past week tell me of family/friends that are in Cabot that they want me to reach out to. I am excited about those doors that are going to fly open, the new frienships that are going to be made, and the lives that we can touch.

But yet there is a nostalga for home. Knowing where things are in your cupboard, knowing which light switch works which light. Knowing where to get your oil changed, knowing how to get to the post office. These are all silly little things that change brings. It is stepping out of your comfort zone into the not so comfort.

Robert Johnson is an amazing person. He is a great husband, father, friend, photographer, designer, MK and the list goes on. I was looking at his pictures from a recent trip he took and came across this bridge picture. I looked at it and looked at it. Suddenly I started to cry for no reason at all. I thought wow Cylinda - you really need some sleep- then it hit me. I am on that bridge right now in my life.

I have left one shore and am being led to the new one. Right now I am in the middle of that bridge.

I don't know where you are today in your life, your walk with God, your realationships but I know that there are a lot of you that feel like you are standing on the bridge. I want to tell you this. God is the God of completion. He is with you no matter what. Don't look down at the waters that are swirling beneath you. Look at the bridge that HE has formed to get you to the other side. He is right there with you.

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil. 1:6

Friends....

I am so thankful for great friends that God brings in our lives.

This week we are so excited to have Chris and Paula Richardson, Richae and Jared staying with us while on deputation. I love when you have friends that you can

1. Be yourself with.
2. Laugh till you cry.
3. Be yourself with- Oh I'm sorry did I already type that?
4. Know are confidential
5. Can keep up with your random conversations
6. Most importantly- pray with you and for you on certain situations!!

Those are God given friends. I am blessed with a few. Most of them live hither and yon- the majority yon. I miss my friends in Charlotte too. This morning while praying I prayed for several of them. They are in my heart.

Please pray for Melinda Poitras- She is an MK from Ghana- She has an outer ear infection. Remember to continue to pray for the Willoughby's for healing, and their three MKs. Please also pray for my uncle who lives here- Allen- he has pneumonia.

Have a great Fourth of July. We are heading to Hot Springs.

Love you Bloggy Buddies!

CMN